Armenian, Azerbaijani, Turkish delegates cross swords at Rose Roth seminar
15:23 / 03/12/2010
The process of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide – particularly the resolution approved by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affair and the one approved by Swedish Parliament on March 11 – impede the ratification of the Armenian-Turkish protocols, Suat Kiniklioğlu, Vice-Chairman of the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, or AK), stated at the NATO-held 73rd Rose Roth seminar in Yerevan.
“Such decisions will only lead to a collapse of the Armenian-Turkish process,” he said. Kiniklioğlu stressed that, should the process fail, the Armenian-Turkish relations will be even worse than before it, and the situation in the region will grow increasingly tense. Kiniklioğlu stated Turkey does not set the issue of the Armenian Genocide as a precondition for normalizing the bilateral relations. However, the issue, as well as the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, complicates the ratification of the protocols. Even if Recep Erdogan gathered the Justice and Development faction and told them to vote for the protocols, it would not happen because of the political atmosphere, Kiniklioğlu said. “I cannot understand the reason for Armenia setting artificial terms – Yerevan used to state the protocols were to be ratified before this January, but now they are speaking of April. They used to say Armenia would withdraw its signature unless Turkey ratified the protocols before this January, but they never did that. Turkey will not have ratified the protocols by the April either, and let us see what Yerevan does this time. The Armenian-Turkish border has been closed for 17 years, and we can wait for one year more,” the Turkish MP said. He asked why Armenia does not want the issue of the Genocide to be discussed by a subcommittee of historians to be set up after the protocols have been ratified. “If Armenians are so sure they are right, let them, together with Turkish scholars, prove they are right. If they succeed, the decision will be binding on Ankara,” Kiniklioğlu said.
The Azeri expert Ilgar Mamadov supported the Turkish MP by stating that “it is unclear what Yerevan is giving in the Armenian-Turkish process after the Armenian Constitutional Court returned its verdict concerning the protocols.” “Any talks are a bargain — each party gives something in exchange. But, after the Constitution Court returned its verdict, it is now unclear what Armenia is going to give,” the Azerbaijani delegate said with indignation. According to him, Armenia’s readiness to renounce its claims on Turkish territories and, party, its policy of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide – “a conviction, rather than historical reality” — was clear before the RA Constitutional Court returned its verdict. “But the Constitutional Court’s verdict showed Armenia has no intention to renounce anything,” Mamadov stated angrily.
Head of the Armenian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Karen Avagyan tried to calm down the Azerbaijani and Turkish delegates. He stated that Armenia has never intended to discuss the Armenian Genocide in any committee – the Genocide is a historical fact. “Moreover, I cannot understand why Turkey hoped the Armenian-Turkish talks would stop the process of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. On the contrary, the talks stirred up the international community’s interest in Armenian-Turkish problems, and the world began examining historical facts more closely,” Avagyan said.
The seminar organizers brought documentaries telling about the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in 1915-1923, as well as about acts of vandalism against Armenian cultural heritage in Nakhchevan.
“Such decisions will only lead to a collapse of the Armenian-Turkish process,” he said. Kiniklioğlu stressed that, should the process fail, the Armenian-Turkish relations will be even worse than before it, and the situation in the region will grow increasingly tense. Kiniklioğlu stated Turkey does not set the issue of the Armenian Genocide as a precondition for normalizing the bilateral relations. However, the issue, as well as the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, complicates the ratification of the protocols. Even if Recep Erdogan gathered the Justice and Development faction and told them to vote for the protocols, it would not happen because of the political atmosphere, Kiniklioğlu said. “I cannot understand the reason for Armenia setting artificial terms – Yerevan used to state the protocols were to be ratified before this January, but now they are speaking of April. They used to say Armenia would withdraw its signature unless Turkey ratified the protocols before this January, but they never did that. Turkey will not have ratified the protocols by the April either, and let us see what Yerevan does this time. The Armenian-Turkish border has been closed for 17 years, and we can wait for one year more,” the Turkish MP said. He asked why Armenia does not want the issue of the Genocide to be discussed by a subcommittee of historians to be set up after the protocols have been ratified. “If Armenians are so sure they are right, let them, together with Turkish scholars, prove they are right. If they succeed, the decision will be binding on Ankara,” Kiniklioğlu said.
The Azeri expert Ilgar Mamadov supported the Turkish MP by stating that “it is unclear what Yerevan is giving in the Armenian-Turkish process after the Armenian Constitutional Court returned its verdict concerning the protocols.” “Any talks are a bargain — each party gives something in exchange. But, after the Constitution Court returned its verdict, it is now unclear what Armenia is going to give,” the Azerbaijani delegate said with indignation. According to him, Armenia’s readiness to renounce its claims on Turkish territories and, party, its policy of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide – “a conviction, rather than historical reality” — was clear before the RA Constitutional Court returned its verdict. “But the Constitutional Court’s verdict showed Armenia has no intention to renounce anything,” Mamadov stated angrily.
Head of the Armenian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Karen Avagyan tried to calm down the Azerbaijani and Turkish delegates. He stated that Armenia has never intended to discuss the Armenian Genocide in any committee – the Genocide is a historical fact. “Moreover, I cannot understand why Turkey hoped the Armenian-Turkish talks would stop the process of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. On the contrary, the talks stirred up the international community’s interest in Armenian-Turkish problems, and the world began examining historical facts more closely,” Avagyan said.
The seminar organizers brought documentaries telling about the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in 1915-1923, as well as about acts of vandalism against Armenian cultural heritage in Nakhchevan.
T.P.
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